


New Life, Same Troubles

by XjadeX



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Harry Potter, Bottom Harry Potter, Creature Fic, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Gore, Mpreg, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, Top Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24955066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XjadeX/pseuds/XjadeX
Summary: During Harry's sixth year Voldemort was defeated thanks to some unlikely allies, then the boy who lived up and disappeared. Five years later those that still hope and prey for his return are about to get quite a surprise.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Fenrir Greyback/Remus Lupin, Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape, Sirius Black/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 135





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Jade here finally deciding to upload a story, its taken me waaay too long. So just a little backstory before we get started, this story was uploaded under the name Shedding his Skin on fanfiction.net under my other username x.Ojiika.x I did not steal it however I did abandon it for 9 years….. I know I'm an awful writer. Any who about a month ago I rediscovered said fic and after reading it I decided it desperately needed a rewrite so here we are! If you want to go and read the original you're free too I'm just warning you now this rewrite is going to be COMPLETELY different (and hopefully better). So I hope you enjoy this, let's go!!

**Edited: October 10 2020**

The busy bee like hive that was Diagon Alley was packed as usual since it was mid-July so the familiar crowds of returning and new Hogwarts students with their harried parents was nothing new for the magical marketplace. However the crowd did split apart slightly when three cloaked figures, wearing robes of brown, navy and slate grey, two of which were obviously male by their height and size with a smaller figure between them walked through the brick entrance when it finished making its arch. Worried glances were shot their way as mothers grabbed their little ones and scurried away like rodents. A snort left the figure in the slate grey robes while his companions turned their hoods in his general direction. “At least no one is casting spells at us” He said to his companions which brought a snort from the male wearing the brown robes this time. 

“That's not a good thing Shaggy it means the sheep are complacent in the face of danger.” Came the reply though it was pitched so low with a growled cadence no one besides his companions heard it. A grunt followed that statement when a sharp elbow connected with his stomach from the navy robed figure. “No pops it means they feel safe, which is good….. It's been far too long.” The tone of that masculine voice brought another grunt of agreement from the figure in brown while the figure in slate grey threw an arm around the smallest companion. 

“come on pup let's go get settled it's been a long trip.” A squeeze to those slight shoulders then the small group set down the street towards the newly built hotel that was tucked in beside Gringotts bank. “You know I still don't understand why we can't just stay at the Leaky Cauldron.” This comment came from Slate Grey which broke the comfortable silence between the three. The aggravated sigh that left Navy was a clear indignation that this argument had happened far too many times. “Because while I don't look the same you two do and as much as I love Tom I know for a fact that man cannot keep a secret. We're here for a very specific reason and it would be very bad for our cause if certain individuals discovered we’ve returned.” The disdain dripping from the man's voice caused Slate Grey to raise his scarred hands in surrender while Brown chuckled lowly. “Besides this place is extremely exclusive there are no advertisements or even a sign over the door.” Navy continued tilting his head towards the building which on the outside looked like an abandoned store front. This brought out a bark like laughter from the male on his right with a ‘alright pup you win' in total defeat.

Navy made a few quick glances to make sure no one was watching them which was impossible since the hotel had special wards in place that made it impossible for those that weren't keyed into them to see guests arriving or leaving the establishment. Finding their lodgings had been an absolute miracle and Navy made a mental note to thank their contact for getting them back into Britain for suggesting it. Taking out a simple black keycard that had been owled to him once the payment for their stay had gone through Navy placed it in the center of the door waiting till he heard a click then grasped the dirty handle and opened the door. There was a low whistle and a curse muttered behind him though Navy himself was at a loss for words. 

The exterior of the Hotel looked like a rundown shop stuck between two very large brick walls and about as tall as Gringotts which was a good indication of how big the establishment was on the inside. The lobby was very inviting with soft creams, dark blues and muted golds to give the impression that they're guests are welcome however there wasn't a front desk. Since secrecy was the main draw of the Hotel there were only two wizards working, the owners. Everything else was either run by house elves or enchanted items like the key card. As soon as they stepped inside numbers rose up on the surface of the card forming ‘376’ and an arrow below that started to move in the direction of their room suite. “This way.” Navy murmured trying really hard to stifle his awe at the level of skill the owners had though judging by the laugh he heard, he failed miserably. 

The three men followed the arrow down a long hallway that opened up into a small landing that had two elevator doors. One opened immediately and after a quick glance down to see that the arrow had changed into 3 to indicate what floor their rooms were. Another hallway greeted the trio painted in the same tranquil hues with double doors on either side, following the arrow once more they took 3 turns a left, right and right arriving at a dead end with one single double door. The arrow disappeared on the key card and slot revealed itself in the center of the dark mahogany door. Sliding the keycard into the slot Navy waited for a ‘click' then pulled the card back out and slipped it into the back pockets of his dark wash jeans then turned the handle opening the door. 

“Well….. Fuck.” Slate Grey muttered oh so eloquently a clear sign that the man was speechless. It was clear now why each room had double doors instead of a single one, it was more like an executive suite than shared rooms. A small entryway with space for cloaks to be hung in a built in closet led into a short hallway before opening up into a beautifully decorated sitting room. The walls were painted a muted grey with darker grey blackout curtains for even more privacy. What drew the eye however was the built in fire pit surrounded by two love seats and three high backed armchairs. This had been one of the main reasons why the trio had picked this hotel to be their temporary home base. Somehow the owners had established a private floo network for the hotel so their guests could come and go or talk to anyone without the Ministry being able to track their movements. Each fire pit had runes engraved into the brick to prevent the fire from escaping though the furniture was made of dragon hide just in case. 

The hairs on the back of Navy's neck rose as the tingling sensation of the suites wards settled into place. Glancing at his companions he dropped the deep set hood of his cloak revealing a shock of pure white hair that clearly had a mind of its own as though it was cropped short on the side the top was a mass of curls and strands that stuck up in every which way in a permanent ‘I just rolled out of bed style.’ Icy blue eyes that had a ring of pure gold around the pupil blinked a few times to adjust to the brighter lighting of the room. A small ‘oof' left his lips as a pair of muscular arms wrapped around his trim waist and lifted him a few inches off the ground in a bear hug, immediately he started to squirm with indignation. “Padfoot! Put me down I am not a child!!” He squawked nails that suddenly turned to wicked looking claws digging lightly into one of those arms lightly to make his godfather drop him.   
Another bark like laughter escaped Slate Grey before he tore off the cloak with flourish earning an eye roll from his godson. The infamous Sirius Black stood in all his cocky glory though he looked nothing like the scruffy looking ragamuffin that he had become post his unjust stay in Azkaban. Even with grey dusting temples Sirius was back to looking the way he did when he was an Auror with his best mate once upon a time. Especially with that mischievous smile on his handsome face. “Well pup since you didn't gain any height after your inheritance you're always going to look like a child to me.” He teased pulling his godson into a light choke hold so he could rub at that white hair making it go from bed head to ‘I decided to play dare with a light socket.’ 

With a growl Adrian broke free of Sirius' hold then tackled the taller man causing them to go crashing to the floor in a pile of arms, legs and loud laughter. “Ouch! Adrian Merlin you cannot use your fangs and claws that’s cheating.” The older Marauder grabbed the lithe form of his godson and pinned him to the ground growling when Adrian just grinned cheekily flashing a pair of fangs, his blue eyes now completely gold. “If you two are quite finished.” A drawled reply came from above them as the last member of the trio removed his cloak, massive forearms folded across his chest, with his hair no longer unkempt and scraggly as well as being clean shaven Fenrir Greyback was extremely intimidating even with the annoyed amused look on his face. Swatting the back of Black's head he extracted Adrian from underneath his godfather and set him back on his feet, taking a few moments to straighten out the white cashmere jumper that Adrian wore ignoring the petulant ‘daaad' then chucked him under the chin. 

“no harm in having a little fun Fenrir it was a long muggle flight from Canada back to London.” Sirius groused pulling a face at the memory of the 7 hour flight, though first class had been nice there had been an ‘incident’ when they landed since apparently the surely werewolf hated flying and his already thin patience had snapped. Thank Merlin Adrian was an expert at calming his father down or else they would have gotten arrested. Fenrir let out a growl sending a heated glare towards Black since it had been his brilliant idea to take muggle travel instead of an illegal portkey. “It's close to the full moon Shaggy so any rough housing is a little dangerous to do in doors.” He smirked at Sirius's mutter of ‘I got a haircut stop calling me that!’ 

Fenrir picked up the discarded cloaks moving back to the entryway to hang them up before he ran his hands through his short dark silver hair. “Now let's see if this place is really worth the Galleons it cost.” He smiled when his son let out an excited sound before he went to a door that was next to one of the rooms windows. Throwing it open Adrian let out a gasp at seeing one of the suites bedrooms that was decorated in beautiful shades of soft blues, ranging from a light sky blue walls to an almost blue/black duvet with matching pillows. “Found my room!” he called over his shoulder before he jumped onto the bed with a laugh earning indulgent smiles from the two older males. They parted finding two more rooms, one on the opposite wall of the first room while the third one was down another short hallway. These rooms were the same size as the first though with the colours of browns and grey/black. Sirius also found a small kitchenette tucked behind another door. 

Sirius took out the luggage he had shrunken out of his pocket placing it on the bed for resizing and putting it away from later then crossed the sitting area to Adrian's room. “Alright pup let's go see….” His voice trailed off when his eyes landed on his godson who was now fast asleep on top of the covers. Rolling his eyes fondly he went over to the smaller male very gently taking off his clothes then moved him under the covers tucking him in then placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Straightening he left the room closing the door behind him. 

“Out like a light?” Fenrir asked getting a nod from the animagus as he joined him at the fire pit sitting in one of the high backed chair with a soft sigh. “It's been a long day for all of us but especially Adrian. He's been eager to return home….. See his friends.” Sirius said watching as Fenrir pulled an envelope from a pocket of his leather jacket then stood approaching the pit. “Wait.” He grabbed the werewolf's arm stopping him from activating the floor, “are you sure you don't want to wait a day or two?"

“I've been waiting for almost 22 years Black I cannot wait any longer.” Fenrir replied softly reaching to one of the side tables where a bag of floo powder was waiting. Tossing some in he spoke clearly; “Hogwarts Headmasters Office.” Then threw the envelope inside. “It's not fair that Adrian should wait any longer either.”

“I know.” Sirius let out a soft sigh watching as the fire settled, “I just wanted him to be able to be a kid for a little bit before he's thrown into battle …. He deserves to be happy.” The weight of a hand on his shoulder caused him to look at Fenrir who had an odd look in his gold eyes.   
“He will Shaggy…. Trust me.”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~  
Hogwarts, Headmaster's office.   
Albus Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was sat behind his desk going over the some of the lesson plans his colleagues had submitted for his approval while he spelled a quill to dictate the books needed for each subject. He had finished the letters for the third years when his fireplace flared to life and an envelope came flying out and landed on the floor. With a flick of his fingers the letter levitated gracefully landed in front of him as he put the stack of parchment aside. “Perfect timing isn't it Fawkes?” he asked his familiar getting a musical trill in response. There was no seal or writing on the outside of the letter however he could feel the magic that protected it should it somehow fall into the wrong hands.  
Taking the blank parchment out Albus spoke the word ‘moony' releasing the magic and watched as a familiar elegant script crawled across the crisp paper;

_Albus_

_We've arrived safely at out destination thanks to your help. Please contact those we have discuss to join us in your quarters tomorrow for tea, we'll see you at the arranged time._

_Padfoot._

The twinkle his Albus' eyes sparkled brightly as he opened one of his desk doors pulling out three letters. With a groan he got to his feet going over to his faithful familiar. “Please see that these arrive to our friends Fawkes.” He said running two fingers along the bright red and gold feathers of the phoenix. With another trill Fawkes disappeared in a burst of flame while Albus returned to his desk to resume his work, a smile on his face. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recap of what happened during the time of Harry Potter's disappearance and a little surprise at tea time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for all of the kudos I'm so glad people liked the prologue. So quick message before going forward with the story, this chapter isn't a rewrite from the original draft. One of the things that bothered me when I read through the story was that I did not take the time to lay out the background of the disappearance, five year gap etc. Also I moved the original book timeline by 10 years so the war ended in 2007. So this is the start of it. So I hope you enjoy it.

**Edited: October 10 2020**

Chapter 1:

**July 16 2012 early afternoon**   
**Malfoy Manor**

“I swear to Merlin ferret if you're cheating I will use some of the products I got from my brothers to get my revenge.” 

“Oh please Weasel I don't need to cheat to beat you. I told you to step up your chess game while playing against me seeing as I'm not Potter.”

Hermione Granger looked up briefly from her book only to roll her eyes at the all too familiar banter between her boy- no fiancé Ronald Weasley and their…… well one would suppose Draco Malfoy could be considered a friend now after five years. The two were playing chess, the muggle version not the Wizard as Draco found it far more satisfying to take his opponents piece rather than watching his destroy it. Neither she nor the two men sitting across from her could have ever imagine that they would have built a friendship together, that wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Harry. A familiar pang of loss struck Hermione's chest and she absently touched the coin that lay against her skin. It was an old DA coin that Harry had made into a necklace and had given it to her on her birthday. 

Harry had gone onto explain that without her brilliance in coming up with the idea for the DA and the messaging coins none of them would have survived the Ministry fiasco. The necklace was a remind of how much he relied on her. Now it served as an anchor for her resolve that Harry was alive as she could feel a small tendril of his magic covering the coin, it wasn't enough for a tracking spell unfortunately but it was enough to give her hope. 

Hermione had to blink back tears as the memory of her best friends disappearance resurfaced like it had happened yesterday not five years ago. During their sixth year ten Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts with the help of a Slytherin student who had repaired a vanishing cabinet that lay within the room of requirement. Their goal had been to secure the castle then drop the wards to allow Voldemort inside to finish off Albus Dumbledore and Harry. However what they found instead of students were the Order, the sixth year DA members, and a handful of Aurors with Harry, Sirius, Albus, Lucius and Severus standing in front. 

Harry had found out about the vanishing cabinet thanks to Dobby and Draco, the house elf had been left in charge of watching the room of requirement for anyone who wasn't a member of the DA to use it. Draco then used Theo who was still loyal to the blonde to get the truth out of the Slytherin girl, he couldn't do it himself as he had been moved to private rooms due to Lucius’ fears that his housemates would attack him to earn favor with the Dark Lord. Dumbledore and Severus then devised a plan to lock down the common rooms to keep the students safe then lessen the wards to allow the Light allies to apparate onto the school grounds a few hours before the attack was to commence. 

The fight hadn't lasted very long as the advantage the Death Eaters thought they had had disappeared. Most of the small group had been stunned the moment they had stepped into the great hall however Bellatrix was far too quick to be brought down by stupefy, she went after Sirius to try and kill him a second time. That duel was nasty and ended with a freezing jinx followed by bombarda blowing the bitch's body into little bits. After the Death Eaters were taken away by the Auror’s Harry had sent a patronus out to where Voldemort was lurking, goading old snake face to stop being a coward and finish the battle once and for all. 

That duel was far tougher for the Savior and before he turned the tide in his favor it looked like Voldemort would win. Despite the fact that Harry spent 6 months training with Albus, Lucius, Severus, and Sirius to sharpen up his duelling skills and learn more spells he was still only 16 years old. Though he had a great well of magic he lacked the years of experience Voldemort had on him, as well as an ego he started to become rather bold bragging to Harry that even if he managed to kill him once more he would still come back as he was Immortal. Harry’s response was to merely smile twirling his wand between his fingers while smirking before delivering a final bombshell.

Calmly the Boy Who Lived told his mortal enemy that with the help of his most ‘loyal' servants they had found the items that he stored pieces of his soul in, his horcruxes and destroyed each and every last one leaving him mortal once again. This bombshell turned the tide in Harry's favor as this caused Voldemort's spell casting to become more desperate and erratic, and after barely dodging a killing curse Harry sent a powerful Sectemsempra slicing old Snake face's head clean off. This apparently was so funny to Harry that he collapsed into a fit of giggles before passing out from mental and physical exhaustion. 

Harry was escorted to the hospital wing with Hermione, Ron, and Draco staying by his bedside to be there for when he woke up. However the next morning the bed was empty and after searching the entire castle from top to bottom Harry Potter was declared missing. Dumbledore managed to keep the information out of the papers and the Wizarding world went on to celebrate the victory of the second world war thanks to their savior. 

“’Mione?” Ron's concerned voice brought Hermione out of her fun little trip down memory lane, she blinked a few times to clear the tears she hadn't realized were rolling down her cheeks and she accepted the handkerchief Draco held out to her with a watery smile. “You were thinking about our brother weren't you?” Ron asked setting a seat beside her so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders while Draco perched on the arm. Hermione nodded letting out a watery laugh while taking the blonde's hand. 

“I was but now I'm thinking how gob smacked he would be when he finds out that we've actually become friends in his absence.” She said earning a chuckle from both men. Out of this entire ordeal Draco's friendship had been very surprising that had started at the beginning of the summer after their fifth year. Harry had moved into Grimmauld Place after his godfather had been cleared of all of those charges, Pettigrew had been one of the Death Eaters that had been amongst those that had been in the Department of Mysteries. Ron and Hermione decided to spend the entire summer with their best friend and the three of them had been in the living room cleaning it up when the fireplace flared and Draco stepped through followed by Sirius and Lucius. The two men had been at the Ministry for the senior Malfoy and Severus Snape's trials for their Death Eater activity, Sirius as well as Dumbledore were key witnesses to their roles as spies since their days as students at Hogwarts.

“What is he doing here?” Ron had spat pointing his thumb towards Draco, the three of them had been told about Lucius' role as a spy a month prior and though they were still wary of the man they all trusted Sirius and Dumbledore…. However their hatred of the younger Malfoy wasn't going to disappear because of his father's deeds. “Hear him out you three trust me.” Sirius said nodding towards Draco who took a deep breath to steel himself. 

“Back when we were 11 I wanted nothing more to be your friend Po-…. Harry, I had been so excited when I learned you would be coming to Hogwarts…. However my father advised that it would be unwise for us to be friends as it could potentially put you in danger of either being seduced to V-Voldemort's side or killed if he returned.” Draco took a deep breath before he continued, “I thought I could protect you but I was never raised to be naïve so I knew what I had to do…. I pushed you away by being a prat in Madam Milkin's as well as on the staircase before we entered the Great Hall.” The blonde paused again to look at Hermione and Ron then started to talk again, “I know we have a lot of issues to work through but I would like to try…. If you three would let me.”

Ron had looked like he had swallowed a lemon but he stayed silent waiting to see what the other two would do, Harry shared a look with Hermione before he stood closing the distance between him and the blonde then stuck out his hand, mirroring the incident five years ago. “I'm Harry Potter.” He said with a slight smile. The tension seemed to bleed out of the blond as he took that hand squeezing it once before dropping it. “Draco Malfoy.”

It hadn't been easy for the four of them though, as Draco said there had been a lot of issues and baggage to unpack before they could even begin trusting each other. Ron barely acknowledged the blonde, seemingly going along with the ‘friendship' so he didn't lose Hermione and Harry. It wasn't until after Harry disappeared that things started to turn around, Draco offered the use of the Manor to act as home base for their search as well as the library. While Hermione dug through maps and ancient tomes for tracking spells Ron and Draco searched through different countries floo, portkey and apparation logs. The three of them exhausted every lead they came across but all they came up with were dead ends. Other parties had given up including the Ministry declaring Harry Potter dead after the second anniversary of his disappearance. 

“He would certainly think you two have lost your minds.” Draco said with a smirk before his head turned at the soft knock on the library door. 

During their searches the three of them talked about everything, rehashing old wounds and apologizing slowly healing scars until a friendship started to form, it wasn't perfect Ron and Draco still fought from time to time but it was more light hearted than mean spirited. Also Draco had opened the Manor up for them to live in after he had overheard Ron telling his girlfriend that they needed to move out of the Borrow.   
A knock at the library door, Draco stood gracefully from his perch on the love seat crossing the carpeted floor to answer the door to see his father on the other side holding up three letters, one that was addressed to the Malfoy's and the other two for Ron and Hermione. “Sorry to interrupt but we've all been asked to join the Headmaster in his quarters for afternoon tea, he has some news regarding a friend of yours. Meet us in the family rooms when you're ready.” Lucius explained silver eyes softening slightly when Hermione let out a gasp and shot to her feet. Freedom from the role he was forced to play did wonders for the elder Malfoy who was finally able to marry his partner and repair relationships that he had to destroy to keep people safe. He ended the blood feud between the Malfoy's and Weasley's by helping Arthur get the recognition and position in the Ministry that he deserved. He also helped Hermione start a small firm to help families especially those born with creature inheritance find jobs, housing and medical care. 

“Merlin I know we shouldn't get our hopes up but this is the first lead we've had in a year.” Ron said just as excited as Hermione was helping her from the loveseat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Draco nodded though he didn't comment grabbing his dark suit jacket because of course Draco wore a suit even while at home. The three left the library traveling the short distance to the family room where Lucius and Severus were waiting then departed the manor to the Headmasters office via the fireplace. 

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°

**Hogwarts, Headmasters Quarters**

The site of both Sirius Black and Fenrir Greyback calmly sitting and having tea with the Headmaster greeted the new arrivals, the younger three automatically drawing their wands and aiming them at the notorious werewolf. Sirius let out a bark of laughter aiming a smile at the scowling male before he stood to his feet closing the distance between himself and the younger adults, pulling all three of them into a hug. “Easy now you three know Dumbledore wouldn't have let him into Hogwarts let alone his own rooms if he was dangerous.” He said grinning at Ron's snort and mutter of ‘poor judge of character'. “Let's all sit down to tea and listen to Greyback and his son yeah?” There was a sharp intake of breath from behind the young trio, Lucius and Severus looked pale while shooting Sirius a look to which the older man nodded to confirm what the two former spies were thinking. 

“Ah finally everyone is here excellent.” Albus said clapping his hands together as he finally joined the others, a silver tray of tea floating behind him. Adrian followed behind the tray carrying another full of little tea sandwiches, scones and cakes. He froze for a split second when his bright blue eyes locked with grey ones before he caught himself and continued the rest of the way, avoiding Sirius' gaze since the older man was shooting him a smirk. “Please help yourself we will be here for a little while.” Albus added as he pulled a lemon drop from his robes then moved aside to give Adrian the floor. 

“Right uh….. Thank you Albus.” Adrian said nervously running a hand through his hair then cleared his throat. “Well you've been asked here because you were told someone had information on where to find Harry Potter.” He began before he shot a look to Sirius who just smiled encouragingly gesturing with his hand to continue. “Alright here goes.” He muttered closing his eyes. The change was slow, white hair slowly darkening and growing until it resembled a familiar mop of wild raven black hair, his body shrank to its original height of 5'5 instead of 5'7 with his clothes becoming slightly baggier. When he opened his eyes they were no longer blue but a vibrant green and he slipped a pair of round wire gold glasses on. The lightning bolt scar which had been previously hidden was now visible. 

“…….Merlin's beard…… _Harry_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There we go chapter 1 finished.Sorry I'm a day late and if this seems a little everywhere I was trying to fit as much background as I could…. This chapter was a beast to write. Anyway I hope you enjoy it, leave kudos and comments please and I'll see you next week.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am so sorry that it has taken me over a month to post this chapter. I mistakenly thought this one would be easier than the previous one... I forgot how much of the canon story I would have to rewrite to fit my plot. It took me two rewrites and a lot of cursing because I got writers block. Anyway enough of my rambling enjoy the chapter

**Edited: October 10 2020**

Adrian didn’t have time to react as he suddenly had his arms full of a shaking and sobbing Hermione, he automatically wrapped his arms around her rocking them back and forth or rubbing his hands up and down her back. Tears welled up in his eyes and he buried his face in her curly hair to hide them, when they’re crying finally stopped Adrian extract himself from her embrace, opening his mouth to say something only to let out a gasp when Hermione's balled up fist collided with his stomach. All the air rush out of his lungs while he bent over, there was a growl from Fenrir while Sirius’ body was shaking from his laughter. “Hermione wha-" Adrian gasp taking in deep gulps of air.

“ Don’t you Hermione me Harry James Potter! You disappear for 5 years 5 years! Why didn’t you send an owl or a fire message… Something to let us know where you were and why you left?!” the brunette’s hand started to curl into a fist to strike Adrian again but Ron pulled his fiancée away as he caught the murderous look Greyback was giving her. “ Easy ‘Mione let's give him a chance to explain yeah?” he said walking her back to the couch. Draco moved closer to Hermione though he didn't touch her his grey eyes watching Adrian warily. “I won't punch you mate I promise.” Ron teased before he pulled smaller male into his arms for a tight embrace, “it's about damn time brother.”

Adrian let out another wheeze squeezing his arms around the redhead's back fighting back tears once more. The two stayed in that embrace for a few minutes more before finally pulling away their eyes a little red tinged from repressed tears. “ Just to let you know Hermione my kidnapping was not my fault if you want to punch someone look to my no-good Godfather who decided to take me while I was unconscious. He’s the one to blame for my initial disappearance however the reason we had to stay away for so long will be explained in due time. Also I know it's a lot to ask of you all but I don't go by Harry anymore, my birth name is Adrian Sebastian Greyback.” He explained snapping his fingers to remove the glamor, the transformation much quicker than before as the young wizard had been going for dramatic effect raven black hair lightened up to snowy white. The light grey Henley and dark wash jeans became well fitted once more while eyes flashed gold briefly then settled to the striking icy blue. Finally he grew the two inches he gained from his inheritance then shook his body out, wearing that glamor felt like having oil on his skin.

Adrian summoned a chair so he could sit down his focus on his two best friends and former enemy, “I know this is a lot to take in trust me. I tried running away from my father at least twice and lost count how many times I hexed him and Sirius before the truth finally sank in, blood never lies. “He explained looking at Dumbledore briefly then looked back at his friends, “ let’s start with the basics yeah? For 16 years I was the only son of James and Lily Potter it was something I was told since the moment I was old enough to comprehend that. It wasn’t until after I was stolen away by my very own Godfather in the middle of the night and spelled to remain in a chair a week later that the truth of my parents was revealed; my true parents are Fenrir Greyback and Remus Lupin – Greyback.”

The silence was absolutely deafening Adrian would have laughed at the absolute gobsmacked expressions on his friends and well he wasn’t sure where he and Draco stood so he was an enigma for now. He was about to continue his story when Hermione spoke up shooting a look at Fenrir, “ that…. I’m really happy you have a family ha – Adrian but Remus always said that Greyback attacked and bit him when he was a little-" her voice was cut off by a menacing growl from The surly werewolf. Sirius lifted a hand and cuffed the back of his head silencing the growl abruptly, gold eyes narrowed with unspoken revenge towards the other man to which Sirius just smiled not bothered in the slightest.

“ Sorry Hermione dad gets really defensive about Papa, I will explain everything just give me time okay? It’s a lot to get through” Adrian said sparing his dad a glance the refocused on his friends. “ Where was I? Oh yeah well you can imagine I took the news about my true parentage well, I spent a few minutes just laughing at the absurdity then became angry when no one else joined me . The family tree spell was the only way I believe the truth and after staring at the peace parchment I allowed my father just start explaining how I ended up a Potter for 16 years.”

Adrian then turned in seat slightly to look at his father, prior to coming to this meeting it was discussed that all three of them would need to explain the entire situation to make things less confusing. Fenrir met his son’s gaze briefly then cleared his throat while crossing his arms over his massive chest. “I know my appearance looks haggard but there is only a five year age gap between my mate and I, so when Remus was bitten I was only 9 years old.” He started to explain holding up and went to look like Hermione wanted to interrupt, “ Remus was bitten by another werewolf a rogue who went insane, his parents knew my families pack took in abandoned children so they contacted my father and he was brought to our pack and raised to accept his wolf.” Fenrir let out of soft growl when it looked like Ron was going to interrupt this time, “ I will explain that part be patient.” He barked barring his fangs at the red head. Adrian cleared his throat and the older werewolf settled, continuing his story. 

“ I knew we were mates about a few months later however since he was only 4 and adjusting to being a werewolf I waited until he was 15 to start courting. My father cautioned being careful since Voldemort was trying to recruit werewolves to his war and I became a target due to leaving my familial pack to start my own. I want better treatment for my kind however I knew that I wouldn’t get that by following someone who wasn’t even human and sane any longer, besides war wasn’t going to stop me from having a family and carrying on my family’s Legacy. And I knew Remus had a pack of friends that would protect him.” He looked over at Lucius and Severus briefly then pressed on before he was interrupted once again. “ Remus and I mated after he graduated Hogwarts then shortly after he fell pregnant with Adrian. I was still being pursued by Death Eaters and with the discovery of that prophecy… Lily had already been pretending to be pregnant to protect her friend against those that thought werewolves producing naturally was an abomination.

“After Adrian was born a glamour and creature suppressant spell was placed on him, the plan was to keep our son safe with the Potter’s until Voldemort was taken care of or we could secure a safe passage out of Britain. Of course that all went to hell when it was decided at the last minute to change secret Keepers and my protests were ignored.” Fenrir snarled leveling a glare at Sirius who looked both guilty and angry. 

“ To this day I regret telling James to trust Peter, I paid for my mistake for 12 years in the cell beside yours cranky wolf.” He griped his hand flexing instinctively like he wanted to hex Fenrir. 

“How did Adrian end up staying with the Dursley's then? They weren’t his biological family shouldn’t he have ended up with his real parents?” Hermione asked looking from Sirius and Fenrir though it was Albus who spoke. 

“Something happened to Remus during the attack. After picking young Adrian up from the rubble of Godric’s Hollow I took him to the cottage where he and Fenrir had been staying only to find Remus on the floor in near hysterics babbling about Fenrir attacking him. I tried calming the poor boy the only way I knew by placing his son in his arms however Remus recoiled calling the baby Harry and not Adrian. Instantly I knew something had happened, using Legillemens I peered into Remus' mind but it was just a twisted mess and the safety of young Adrian was more important than trying to figure out what happened to his mother at the time. That attack somehow caused Fenrir to become feral and attack of the villagers, he and Sirius were both thrown into Azkaban when they were caught. No matter how hard I tried I could not sway Fudge to have trials for them. As for Adrian's placement with Lily's sister, a month prior to James and Lily going into hiding Lily had handed me a note explaining to me that if anything had happened to her James and Adrian’s real parents that Petunia had agreed to look after him, the two sisters had reconciled their relationship after Lily graduated so she was trust worthy. As for the blood wards to make sure Adrian was never found a mixture of Fenrir and Remus' blood was used with a spell created by Fenrir's mother Selena.”

Fenrir cleared his throat picking up the story once more, “The spell used on my mate supresses a soul bond that’s why I went feral, to my wolf it felt like my mate was dead. It took five years of listening to Sirius reading cryptic messages hidden in copies of the Daily Prophet about my son's health and safety for me to claw back to sanity then bided my time until I could escape which was during the massive breakout when Adrian was 15.” He let out a snort then continued, “Voldemort thought I would be grateful and join his cause but I mauled one of the Lestrange brothers instead, shifted the moment I could then got off that godforsaken island.”

“ that’s why I disappeared shortly after my name was cleared I made the promise to Fenrir that I would help find a way to reserve the curse placed on Remus. Took me half a year just to find the bugger since he was staying with his family pack and Selena had moved locations during our prison time.” Sirius looked at his godson then over at Lucius and Severus, “ I am sorry that I couldn’t stay to help destroy those horcruxes but I knew it was important to prepare for the truth problem that we had to tell Adrian once he was smuggled out of the UK.” He explained to the room.

“But why was Ha-Adrian taken from Hogwarts? Couldn't you have revealed the truth to all of us once he was awake?” Ron asked anger seeping into his tone slightly.

Adrian shook his head reaching over to grab his best friends shoulder squeezing it incomfort “ I said the same thing too but my father is still a fugitive and Pops helped in the final battle, if he had seen him… It just would have made things difficult. Also my 17th birthday broke the spells that had changed my appearance and suppressed my lycanthropy. The magical backlash that happened shortly after midnight would have brought the ministry to Hogwarts Gates even with the powerful Wards in place.”

“He was also a brand new werewolf who had absolutely no training on how to accept and control his wolf. It was safer for him and the rest of you for him to be with a pack until he could control himself.” Fenrir added gruffly.

Silence fell over the small group though it was quickly broken by Hermione, “why aren’t you two throwing insults at each other?” She asked gesturing between Sirius and Severus pointing out something that should have been obvious but had been lost in the excitement of Adrian’s true identity had.

“ Because we have been friends since our 3rd year at Hogwarts.” Severus replied causing four pairs of shock eyes to glance at the potions professor. “James Potter left me alone after I bluntly told him I had no interest in Lily other than friendship as I was gay and interested in someone else, the rivalry mainly involve Black and I. As all of you are aware to came to a head when Black played that prank on me during a full moon with Remus occupying the Shrieking Shack.”

Sirius let out a guilty chuckle at that running a hand through his hair, “James was absolutely furious when he found out what I did calling me a jealous git because I had seen him and Severus studying together with Lily. He spent an entire week pranking me and Remus threatened to release Fenrir who had been livid that their pack night had been interrupted if I didn’t apologize. The pranks I can handle but Greyback scared the shit out of me because he was… Well still is a surly bastard. Not to mention to a 13 year old having a fully grown massively tall and built werewolf who was five years older was terrifying.”

“ I will spare you the details on what I had to do to convince Severus to hear Black out,” Lucius said with a smirk. “But by Christmas Severus and Black were able to bury their rivalry. We kept up appearances as we werealready in the clutches of the Dark Lord. Since there were ears everywhere it was important to continue pretending to be enemies as Severus and I were spies.”

The four young Wizards nodded at this as by now that was common knowledge. Lucius and Severus had offered their services to Dumbledore as spies to protect Draco following the deaths of The Potters, their roles had been revealed in the department of mysteries when Lucius saved Sirius from his sister-in-law’s attack.

“I believe on that note we should break for tea and lunch in my office.” Dumbledore said getting to his feet. Everyone else agreed following the headmaster to the door that connected his rooms to his office. Adrian was about to follow when he felt a hand land on his shoulder causing him to look up into grey eyes. Draco had been silent the entire conversation merely absorbing and processing the information given. “Potter….. Greyback can we talk?” he asked through another door that led to a passage from the headmaster's dorms to just outside the gargoyle statue guarding his office entrance. Adrian nodded getting to his feet following the other male, Fenrir watched them leave with a knowing smirk on his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok there we go 2 out of three catch up chapters done. Something I wanted to add since it didn't fit into the chapter, the prophecy does still apply to Adrian since Fenrir refused to join Voldemort and Remus was in the Order with James,Lily and Sirius. 
> 
> Also on another note I need some help for two chars; Draco-I'm debating on whether I should make him a creature as well. And Sirius- I can't decide if his love interest should be an canon char or an original one. Let me know what you guys think!


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again everyone for the kudos! This chapter is a little shorter than the others but I hope you like it.

**Edited: October 10 2020**

The silence between the two young adults was filled with awkward tension as they walked down the passage that ended with a portrait of a forest landscape that was beside the Griffin statue guarding the headmasters office. Draco held open the portrait allowing the smaller man to pass through then let go watching as the portrait shut with a soft ‘thud'. While the school was empty except for the few professors that stayed year round the blonde still wished for a more private place to speak so without a word he led the way towards outside. The Black Lake was always a favorite spot whenever he wanted to study or just think when he had been a student and judging by the flash of recognition to the path they were taking it was one for Po-Greyback as well. As they walked through the deserted halls of the castle all of the scenarios that had played through Draco's mind for the past five years flooded back to a point that he thought he would drown in them. Some of the earlier scenarios consisted of Draco yelling at Potter calling him a coward for abandoning everyone to deal with the mess and fallout of Voldemort’s demise. Overtime however the scenarios morphed into questions, variations of why he left and why he stayed away for so long and most importantly how he could put his best friends through so much pain and worry. However he didn’t voice any of these questions as they no longer applied to the situation, Adrian’s story explained why he had to stay away. Not only was it for his safety but for their safety as well. So he remained silent sneaking short little glances at the smaller male and catching those icy blue eyes doing the same thing.

The great double doors leading outside opened allowing the two men to walk through and continue on our way to the Black Lake. The mid-afternoon sun was warm but there was a nice gentle cool breeze that was blowing off of the lake so no cooling charms were necessary to keep the sweat off of their brows and necks. Taking out his wand Draco waved it on his favourite rock conjuring a comfortable blanket for the two of them to sit on so they didn’t ruin their clothes to which Adrian’s response was to simply roll his eyes. Adrian settled down on the rock getting comfortable by crossing his legs however Draco decided that sitting beside each other would be far too awkward so he stood in front of the man folding his arms across his chest. Clearing his throat Draco tried not to fidget as he said, “so where exactly were you for five years?” Then proceeded to cringe inwardly as it sounded more like a demand than a question.

Adrian didn’t seem ruffled or offended by the tone of Draco's voice, he merely smiled while leaning back on his hands and staring up at the cloudless sky about him.” We were staying with my grandmother for about a year in France dad thought it was wise to have me around her and other older members of their pack to get used to being around other werewolves and accept my own wolf as well. Plus I had so many questions about my family and my grandmother was better suited to answer them then my father. After that year we used an illegal Portkey to British Columbia Canada where the remains of my father’s pack had been staying while he was in Azkaban. We stayed there for the remaining four years then flew by plane from Canada to the UK and arrived back in London yesterday.” At Draco's incredulous look he let out a chuckle, “it was far to risky to secure another Portkey so using muggle transportation was the only safe way.” Adrian paused tilting his head to the side then asked a question of his own to the blonde, “ you Ron and Hermione have gotten closer how did that happen?”

“We bonded over you funnily enough, your friends were in a right panic when you turned up missing 5 years ago. they barely slept for a week combing through the entire castle and the grounds before moving on to other places such as Hogsmead or Diagon Alley. When you didn’t turn up I offered my family’s Library which has numerous books of maps and how to track Portkey's, magical signatures and the like. During breaks between our searches we just talked first it was about you and then it was about everything else. Ironically what stopped the fights between Ron and I was our love of chess both wizard and muggle, Hermione was the one who introduced the ladder to us and I preferred it over wizard test. It's far more satisfying taking players from your opponent rather than watching your pieces destroy your opponents. It also helped that my father was able to patch things up with Mr. Weasley and finally get him the job that he deserved in the Ministry. It’s not perfect we still fight but I understand why the three of you were so close they became family to me especially now since they live with me my father and Severus at the Manor for about a few months now.”

Adrian raised a white eyebrow in surprise while replying “I was under the impression that Ron would probably live with his family until Hermione forced him out or he inherited The Borrow from his parents.” He joked causing Draco to chuckle as well, “what made them move out?”

“Apparently Mrs. Weasley has been on both Ron and Hermione’s case not only to get married but to start popping out grandbabies.” Both white eyebrows were raised in surprised this time at Draco's statement causing the blonde to laugh once more. “Did you not notice the ring on Hermione's finger?”

“No I’m ashamed to admit that I never noticed it, I was far too nervous telling my story because I was worried that they would be mad about my appearance the fact that I’ve changed so much.”

“Merlin I forgot you could be completely dense sometimes Potter I mean Greyback, all they ever wanted to do was to find you they never cared what shape you’re in or what the reason was why you disappeared they just wanted you back here safe and whole.”

“And what about you? What do you want?”

“To continue where we left off as far as becoming friends I meant what I said 6 years ago Adrian I had always wanted us to be friends and I figured since your best friends are now my friends it might be a little bit easier.”

Adrian didn’t comment he just studied the blond before nodding in agreement. The previous awkwardness that had been hovering between them since leaving the headmaster’s office finally dissipated allowing the blond to finally relax and settle beside Adrian on the rock. They remained silent watching the giant squid play in the middle of the Black Lake until Ron and Hermione join them 15 minutes later with a small picnic for the for them. Adrian and Draco got off of the rock moving the blanket on to the ground and smoothing out so the four of them could sit down on the grass and eat as Ron passed out sandwiches to everyone Adrian grabbed Hermione’s hand so he could study the delicate ring on her finger. Made of white gold the entire ring looked like it was made out of a vine with a small diamond perched on top with a few white gold leaves to make the jewel look like a flower, the ring suited Hermione since it clearly mimicked the vine work on her wand.

“I’m finally glad you grew some balls Ron and propose to Hermione been far too long in my opinion and the ring is absolutely gorgeous. Who helped you pick it out?” Adrian teased knowing that as much as he loved his best friend he had absolutely no taste when it came to the jewellery and judging by the fact that the redheads ears when bright red he know it as well.

“Ha Ha very funny Harry I mean Adrian I didn’t have any help well….. Actually that’s a lie Hermione helped me in a way, Draco had dragged us shopping in Italy of all places and while we’re browsing through jewellery store Hermione pointed out of style ring she liked casually and Draco inform me that that was pretty much a hint that I should think about proposing. It took me a year of working with Fred and George to save enough money for that ring but it was well worth it…. She’s worth it”

“You should have seen it Adrian Ron surprised me with a trip to the United States New York City to be exact and we went to the New York City Library. We went into the underground part of the library where the rarest books are kept I spent hours looking through rows upon rows of and when I came back to show Ronald what I have found he was on one knee and he asked me to marry him.” Hermione gushed leaning over to kiss Ron on the lips. Adrian looked over at Draco who had a slight smirk on his face, their eyes met and he mouthed ‘you helped didn't you?’ Draco's only reply was to wink and press a finger to his mouth. 

The foursome had just finished lunch when a patronus in the shape of a wolf appeared before them. Opening its mouth it replayed a message from Sirius, ‘sorry to interrupt your catch up but there is something else we have to talk about meet us back in Albus' quarters.’ The wolf then turned and disappeared.

Adrian suddenly let out a snicker causing the other three to look at him. “Sorry I just realized dad owes me five galleons.” He explained which of course wasn't really much of an explanation so he elaborated as they packed up. “When we stayed in British Columbia with dad's pack Sirius got really close with my uncle Thayne dad's former Beta and younger brother. I was convinced that they were more than friends and dad wasn't buying it so we made a bet.”

“Alright but I don't see how a patronus could make you believe that Sirius has a thing for your uncle. It looked the same to me.” Ron replied. Hermione shook her head fondly at her fiancé.

“Sirius' patronus has always been a big black dog and the one we just saw was clearly a wolf.” She looked at Adrian, “that was your Uncle's wolf wasn't it?” she asked and he nodded smugly. 

“Not only am I going to enjoy taking dad's galleons but also taking the mickey out of Sirius.” He said with a laugh as the four young adults went back into the castle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go the ground work has been laid for Adrian and Draco's relationship. I hope you enjoyed this little filler chapter. As always kudos and comments are appreciated, see you guys in the next update.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sorry for the long absence again real life is kicking my ass and so did this chapter, my brain did not want to write it because apparently it was bored with the first act and wanted to move on...... So apologies for it being a short chapter but good news is I introduced Thayne. Also the next 3 chapters to finish the first act will be larger so there's something to look forward too. 
> 
> On another note I also edited my other chapters nothing too big just fixing grammar errors and sealing up from plot holes. 
> 
> As always your kudo's and comments keep me going so enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 4

By the time the small group of young adults reached the Headmasters office there was a discussion between the three men about a Quidditch tournament, “Thayne said he would be here a day before the full moon. He was a chaser when he was at Illvermorny and he's been itching to have a proper match for a few months now.” Adrian finally said making Draco and Ron grin, Hermione perked up for an entire different reason of course. “Your uncle went to Illvermorny? Why not Hogwarts?”

“ Because Thayne rebelled against the idea of going to Hogwarts he ended up staying with my great uncle’s pack in America from the age of 10 till he graduated at the age of 18. Apparently the headmistress of the school is a family friend and those in America are a little bit more tolerable when it comes to werewolves and vampires. Same thing with Canada it’s why when my dad was arrested and thrown in Azkaban Thayne took what was left of his brothers pack and took them to Vancouver.” Adrian explained opening the door to the headmaster’s office.

“Don't worry Hermione you will have plenty of time to ask him all about his time at the American school when he gets here.” He added as they crossed the circular room to the partially concealed door leading to the Headmaster's private quarters. 

The grin that took over Adrian's beautiful face could only be described as ‘shit-eating' as he went up to his father who was glaring at a pouting Sirius, “I told you I was right pay up dad.” He said smugly wiggling his fingers towards the elder werewolf. Fenrir let out another growl his glare intensifying even more if that was even possible while depositing the agreed amount of galleons into his son's palm. Adrian placed a cheeky kiss to his father's cheek before he skipped to the couch where Ron, Hermione and Draco were sat, all three of them doing their best to conceal their laughter…. And failing miserably. Fenrir shot Sirius a look that clearly said they would be _talking_ later then regained his composure. 

“We had two reasons for returning to the United Kingdom after five years, Adrian's constant reminding of the fact that he was long overdue with a reunion with his friends as well as an explanation for his disappearance,” Fenrir paused to level an annoyed look at his son who just smiled innocently in return. “The second reason is our well of research in regards to finding a reverse to the spell placed on Remus ran dry. The libraries we were able to go to in Canada, Italy and France had very little to no volumes pertaining to darker uses of magical bonds and memory charms. Shaggy pointed out a few weeks ago that both Hogwarts restricted section and Malfoy's personal library could help in our search.” 

“Your certain the spell had to do something with your mating bond?” Severus asked folding his arms across his chest, “I have caught brief glimpses of Remus' mind myself when he's come to me for Wolfsbane potion each month.” Severus held up a hand when Fenrir growled loudly his blue eyes flaring gold in his fury. “Calm Greyback I have never given your mate that potion rather I modified a sleeping potion to prevent his wolf from doing something drastic. From what I've been able to glean from the brief glimpses I've had into his mind his memories are fake.” 

Fenrir’s growl died at the Potion Master's words and he took a few breaths to calm himself before speaking, “I wouldn't have gone feral that night had it just been a memory charm. I would still be able to feel my mate, would have been able to help him remember me if it was just a memory charm.”

“What if it’s a combination of both?” Hermione asked looking to both Fenrir and Severus, “the little information I have read about bonds is that they're stronger between those that are fated to be with one another. That type of strength can theoretically over come many spells even memory ones. So in order for those fake memories to stick the caster suppressed the soul bond.” 

Adrian shot a smug look at his father, “see I told you she was brilliant.” He said proudly causing Hermione to flush a bright pink and rest her head on Ron's shoulder. Fenrir merely rolled his eyes at his son then focused on the witch beside him. “What would be our next move then?”

Hermione hummed against Ron’s shoulder as she thought before straightening herself, “research on soul bonds and perhaps even see the suppressed bond if we can.”  
“I'll show you the bond through my end Miss. Granger but bare in mind since the spell wasn't cast on me it might not help… It did us no good during our own research.” Fenrir said gruffly blue eyes once again melting into molten gold in frustration. 

“I understand Mr. Greyback and I'm sure we can come up with someway to see the bond on Remus' side should our efforts bring up nothing. And please call me Hermione.”

“Then Fenrir please.” The older werewolf replied bowing his head in respect to the brunette. He then glanced at a muggle watch that adorned his wrist and cleared his throat, “it's getting late and I believe we should be retiring to our places of rest.” Reaching into his leather jacket he pulled out a black card holding it out for Lucius to take, “this is how you can reach our rooms at the hotel we're staying at. Once you memorize the room number place the card inside the desired fireplace and tap the rune on the back of the card, it will imprint a rune to connect that fireplace to our fire pit. Once that is complete say finite and the card will dissolve ” Fenrir then turned to Adrian, “say your goodbyes pup then join us back home.” With a nod to Lucius and Severus, Fenrir and Sirius disappeared through the floo. 

Adrian pouted letting out a soft whine at his fathers words, as much as he wanted to return to the hotel room the desire to catch up with his best friends was stronger. Ron chuckled wrapping an arm around the smaller man pulling him into a hug thumping his back a little hard then pulled away, “I know mate I don't want you to leave either but we will be seeing each other so much that we'll be sick of each other.” He said laughing when Adrian muttered ‘not possible'. Hermione tutted gently pushing Adrian towards the fireplace until the werewolf let out a playful growl and stuck his tongue out at her. Adrian waved goodbye promising to contact them both the moment he woke up the next morning. Tossing some floo into the fireplace he stepped inside calling out the room number of the hotel and he disappeared in a woosh of green flame.

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°

**Room 376**

Adrian let out an undignified yelp limps flailing as the fire pit spat him out since there wasn't a brick wall to steady himself like he would in a traditional fireplace. Stumbling he tried to right himself but he had never gotten the hang of floo travel and since he had two left feet gravity won and he fell into another very warm solid body. The familiar scent of cloves, smoke and pine filled his nose and he let out a soft growl while nuzzling into the solid chest then pulled away to look up into warm midnight blue eyes. “Alright there paws?” the man rumbled his voice smooth with a drawl of at least three different accents blurred together. Adrian let out another growl this time in displeasure at the unwanted nickname. “I hate that name,” he groused before he shook it off allowing the excitement to overtake his annoyance. “I thought you weren't coming for at least another week Uncle Thayne.” 

“Apparently I was underfoot too much for maman that she shooed me away. She wanted to pass along a message that she won't be able to join us till after the full moon, Katra hasn't gone into labor yet and you know she doesn't trust anyone but her or Fenrir. Hopefully the pull of the moon will kick start the birth.” Thayne explained before he buried his nose into his nephew's soft white hair inhaling his scent of lemon, rain and vanilla.

Adrian remained still allowing his uncle to scent him to make sure he wasn't injured, since he was the youngest and a submissive it was something he had to get use to once he had been reunited with his family. “How is Katra doing?” he asked his mind wandering to the spunky and fierce Beta to his father's pack. Closer to Adrian's age Katra had been a huge help in his adjustment to being a werewolf since she had just recently been turned shortly before his arrival. 

“Crass and mouthy as always, she sends her regrets on not being able to come here and help you and Fen.” Thayne replied pulling away from his nephew's hair then set him back on his feet and took a few minutes to straighten his clothes. Once he was satisfied Thayne stood with a groan stretching his 6'5 frame sighing as a few of his bones popped. “I bloody hate taking international portkeys I feel like I went through five cycles in a washing machine.” He complained earning a laugh from Adrian before he jumped up wrapping his arms around his uncle's broad shoulders in a proper hug. Eight years separated Fenrir and Thayne, it was obvious in both appearance and temperament. While Fenrir looked like he could be in his late 30's, Thayne looked like he was in his 20's instead of his actual age of 39. Like his older brother Thayne’s facial features were aristocratic with sharp cheek bones, a slender nose and a defined jaw, unlike Fenrir however the younger werewolf's mouth was always upturned into a smile that showed off his sharp canines and his midnight blue eyes were lit with mischief and humor. 

Thayne's tall figure wasn't bulked out with muscle like his brother but rather very defined like he had been lovingly carved by a sculptor, the tight clothes he tended to wear showing off his body in ways that made potential lovers swoon and enemies piss their pants. Finally Thayne took after their mother rather than father his long straight hair so black it had a blue sheen to it and it fell about mid back though he always wore it in a braid to keep it out of his face. As far as temperament went Thayne was very much the baby brother spending more time playing pranks on Fenrir rather than trying to be a leader. The only time he ever got serious was when his family was in danger thus why he stepped in to be temporary Alpha to his brother's pack when Fenrir was thrown in Azkaban. Thayne squeezed Adrian until the younger werewolf protested and started to squirm then he placed him back down on his feet. “I missed you too ‘Rian, how did everything go with your pack? I tried to ask my brother and Sirius but one growled at me and the other refused to even look at me.” He said looking a little put out since while Fenrir's reaction was a little normal, the animagus' reception wasn't. 

Adrian let out a laugh almost forgetting about the incident with Sirius's patronus. Looking in the direction of his godfather’s room he then shot a smug look at his uncle, “when were you going to tell us that you and Siri had feelings for each other?” He asked his grin turning into a full blown smile when Thayne stumbled in shock. 

“Uh…. I really have no idea what you're talking about paws. What…. What made you think that Sirius has… uh feelings for me?” Thayne asked trying really hard not to fidget under his nephews gaze though he realized a little too late that he just revealed that he had feelings for Adrian's godfather. “Sirius' patronus has changed slightly it's now a wolf…. Actually it bears a striking resemblance to your wolf Uncle Thayne.” Adrian replied his smug once again turning smug. Thayne was absolutely speechless his midnight eyes flitting to where he could smell Sirius' scent down a hallway.

“Let me guess Fen saw it?” He asked weakly. Adrian nodded with a ‘yup' popping the ‘p'. “Fantastic though not like it's any of his concern, I may act like a teenager but I am a grown ass adult….. Though it's not like….” He trailed off and winced then shook his head throwing his nephew a strained smile, “sorry paws I shouldn't unload on you like that.”

Adrian shrugged his shoulders “you're my favorite uncle Thayne I just want to see you happy.” He replied then let out a yelp when he was pulled into a bear hug and his hair was ruffled. Adrian growled squirming hard and biting down on the exposed arm earning a deeper growl in return. He was forced to let go when fingers dug into his sides starting to tickle him and he squirmed harder until Thayne finally let him go. 

“I'm your only uncle brat, go grab my grumpy brother from where ever he's hiding so we can eat, I'm bloody starving.” Thayne chuckled gently shoving his nephew towards his father's rooms before he rubbed the bridge of his nose and went to fetch Sirius. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So in case anyone is wondering this universe's events go from 1988-2007. So I've shifted the timeline by a decade to make things easier on my poor brain. I did some math and research for birthdays and I’m just going to list a few for reference:
> 
> Adrian Greyback; July 31 1990 (age 22 by start of fic)
> 
> Fenrir Greyback: February 23 1965 (age 47)
> 
> Remus Lupin: March 10 1970 (age 42)
> 
> Sirius Black: November 3 1969 (age 43)
> 
> Thayne Greyback: October 3 1973 (age 39)
> 
> Also yes I used the french word for mom although if its wrong I'm sorry I stopped taking french when I was 15 and I googled it.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow two days in a row yay! Also this is the longest chapter I've written.... and yes my brain is dead. So chapters 5-7 re going to cover time between July 2012 to January 2013 so to make things easier I broke the chapter down into chunks. So I hope you enjoy this one

Chapter 5

**July 18 2012**  
**Room 367, Diagon Hotel**

The moment Adrian opened his eyes he knew that he wasn't in his own bed within the shared suite and the snore that left the chest his head was currently resting on confirmed it. He let out a small groan one hand pinching the bridge of his nose while he silently cursed his bloody wolf. As quietly as he could Adrian started to shift his body so he could slide out of the bed and leave the bedroom only for a grunt to leave the other man sleeping, “go back to sleep s'too early.” A hand reached out gently tugging on a piece of Adrian's hair to get him to lay back down. A bright flush ran across Adrian's cheeks while pulling his head away from that hand and slid off the bed not trying to be quiet this time. “Told you…. Nothing to be…. Ashamed of.” The voice continued and Adrian threw a glare over his shoulder towards the once more fast asleep form of his Uncle Thayne. 

Shutting the door behind him quietly since he was sure that both his father and godfather were still sleeping Adrian turned around to go back to his room only to freeze at the sight of his smirking father sitting in one of the high backed arm chairs with a cup of coffee in his hands, because of course the bloody Alpha would be up at the crack of dawn. “I hate the full moon,” the youngest werewolf grumbled changing his course of direction to a table where a pot of hot water sat under a warming charm with cups and assorted teas. He sent a growl at his father when he heard the man let out a soft chuckle ignoring him while preparing his tea. Once he was finished Adrian plunked down on the sofa pouting. 

“Stop pouting you're still a whelp Adri,” Fenrir stated folding the Prophet he had been reading so he could focus fully on his son, “it's only natural for someone your age to want comfort while sleeping from an elder. I'm a little sore that it wasn't me but since you haven't seen Thayne in a few days when you were used to being around him all the time in the last 5 years I can understand.” Leaning over he took Adrian's bottom lip in between his fingers and started to tug on it until he smiled and batted his hand away. Still even with those words Adrian still felt embarrassed at the fact that he tried to make a puppy pile with Thayne, thank Merlin Sirius had told him to make his own room last night before slamming the door in his face and locking it. If he had woken up in between them…. That would have been absolutely mortifying. “You will move past this phase trust me…. And may I remind you that you never seem to bawk at the idea of sleeping in a puppy pile when its with Katra, Darius, Ella and Michael.”

“That's different they're in the same boat as me.” Adrian grumbled though the smile remained on his face as he thought about his father's Beta, her mate Ella and recently bonded Darius and Michael. Being only a few years older than Adrian as well as still being new wolves those four had really helped him adjust to not only being a werewolf but soothed his fears of waking up and finding his newly discovered family had only been a dream. He couldn't wait to introduce Ron and Hermione to them, hell even Draco would enjoy it. “You know you say that I'll get use to it but how can I? I didn't grow up around wolves dad I was human…… And outside of packs puppy piles are weird to people.”

Fenrir let out a small sigh setting his mug down on the small table beside his chair before he got to his feet. Moving over to his son he got down on one knee so he was eye level with Adrian. “We aren't people cub we're wolves, acting on instinct will always be ingrained in us. So wanting to seek comfort from family, from pack when it's so close to the full moon is perfectly normal.” He ran a hand through his son's wild mop of hair, his boy had seen so much during the first 16 years of his life, it took moments like this to remind himself that Adrian was still so very young. “Also you can't tell me that you never experienced a puppy pile at least once before your seventeenth birthday, those baser instincts do not just vanish cub.”

The blush returned to Adrian's cheeks as two distinct memories came to mind one occurring the summer before his 4th year after they recovered from the events of the Quidditch World Cup, nightmares had plagued Adrian during the night waking him up really early in the morning, still half asleep he had gone to the room where Bill and Charlie had been staying in and fell back asleep cuddled in between them. Adrian had been incredibly mortified when he had woken up later to see Charlie's concerned blue eyes so close to his face and he started to apologize but Bill waved him off stating that it was something both Ron and Ginny had done when they had been younger. “You're family Harry.” Charlie added with a smile, “don't worry about it.” The older men had promised not to say anything though and it was a promise they still kept between them. 

The second memory was during 6th year leading up to the final battle. Adrian had returned from retrieving and destroying the horcrux residing in Slytherin's locket, the images the smoke within the locket still running through his mind like a sick twisted movie. Ron and Neville had been in the dorms when Adrian had gotten back and without a word they spelled their beds together to make a giant one then spent the night talking, cracking bad jokes and not allowing Adrian to think about the upcoming battle. “See?” Fenrir said chuffing his chin to bring him back to the present, “by that look in your eyes you did it a few times before your inheritance.” He poked him on the nose earning a short growl and a snap of Adrian's teeth trying to bite his finger. “Drink your tea cub I'll call for breakfast.” Fenrir stood to his feet leaving Adrian alone at the fire pit.

Pulling his legs to his chest Adrian rested his chin on his knees his mind wandering while he sipped his slightly cooled off tea. He perked up when the fire pit flared to life and he raised an eyebrow when Draco stepped out dusting off some of the soot on his suit. “Morning.” He said trying and failing to keep the surprise from his voice. 

Draco looked a little sheepish as he ran a hand through his long hair that he decided to wear lose today instead of braiding it like he normally did. “Hermione woke Ron and I up an hour ago and dragged us to the library to start pulling books that might have the information we need. But Ron fell asleep on one of the couches after fifteen minutes of searching and as you know Hermione can get a little….. Intense when it comes to research so she actually threw a book at Ron to wake him up.” The blonde started to explain while Adrian covered his mouth to hide his laughter, Merlin he wished he had been there to see that. “I had to leave when they started to argue so without even thinking I grabbed some floo powder and came here. I hope you don't mind.”

The young werewolf continued to chuckle very familiar with his best friends arguing, it happened very frequently during their time at Hogwarts. Usually Adrian had been able to act as a medium settling the fight before it reached its boiling point but other times he had to walk away and let them sort it out themselves. Ron and Hermione were opposites in every sense of the word and most of the time they balanced each other out however those dissimilarities sometimes rubbed the wrong way and exploded like dynamite. “I'm sure it happened a lot when you were looking for me.” Adrian said standing up with his cup in his hand to make himself another cup of tea as well as make Draco one. “Where did you normally go when the fighting got too much?”

Draco was silent though as he didn't hear the question due to the fact that he was distracted by what Adrian was wearing…. Or rather what he wasn't wearing which was a top. Golden tanned skin was stretched over very defined muscles that bunched and stretched as the werewolf moved gracefully while preparing their tea. He wasn't bulky like his father but sleek like a panther or a cheetah. Draco was snapped out of his shocked trance when the object of his ogling turned around holding the tea cups in his hand and he blinked bringing his grey eyes up from Adrian's exposed chest to lock with bewildered azure. “I'm sorry what?”

For the third time in a short amount of time a blush graced his cheeks and actually travelled down his neck and spread a little across his chest. “Bloody hell.” He murmured putting the tea cups back down on the table and hurried back to his room so he could throw on a shirt. He was so use to sleeping with either very little or no clothing while he lived with his families pack that he forgot that humans didn't think of clothing as _optional_. He took a second to compose himself breathing in through his nose and letting the air back out through his mouth. Once the heat of his embarrassment had died down Adrian went back out into the sitting room to find Draco sitting in the second armchair one eyebrow raised in curiosity while holding the tea Adrian had made for him in his hand. “What?”

“This is exactly how I make my tea how did you know?” Draco asked tilting his head to the side while looking at Adrian. The werewolf fought to keep the blush from remerging on his face while he fetched his own tea casting a nonverbal wandless heating charm to reheat his tea. He didn't answer the blonde since that would mean he had to admit that he paid far too much attention to him during meal times in the Great Hall. So instead Adrian returned to his seat and countered with, “you didn't answer my question.”

Grey eyes narrowed slightly at the dodged question but Draco let it slide, he had just escaped witnessing a fight so he didn't want to drag the other man in front of him into a verbal sparring match. He had to think however about the question that Adrian had posed while Draco had been distracted by bare skin and sleep pants that hung far too low on curved hips to be considered legal. “Where do I go when Ron and Hermione are arguing?” Draco repeated and when Adrian nodded he continued, “usually back to my room or outside to the garden. There's an expanse of land that my father turned into a Quidditch pitch for me to use and with shield and heating charms it can be used all year. Flying always centered me and clear my head.”

“How is it that when you left my room you took all of the warmth paws.” Thayne's sleep deepened voice cut off any response Adrian would have given, instead the werewolf just groaned hiding his face in one of his hands since his uncle was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts putting his body on full display. Midnight blue eyes locked with wide grey ones and a wide grin split his face. “Good morning.” He drawled catching the pillow that Adrian threw at him. 

“Put on some clothes you pervert!!” He yelled grabbing another pillow and throwing it at Thayne only for him to duck at the last minute so it hit Sirius in the face. Thayne laughed only to grunt when that pillow whacked him upside the head so hard that he stumbled a little. “Yes Thayne please put some clothes on.” Sirius said dryly moving passed the man, he had a mug of coffee in his hand that he had grabbed from the kitchen. “Good morning pup, Draco. How come you're here so early?” he directed the question at the blonde. 

“Ron and Hermione started to fight so he escaped through the floo.” Adrian piped up and Sirius let out a bark of laughter while shaking his head. Thayne rejoined the small group wearing only sleep pants leaving his torso completely bare, Adrian groaned while Sirius rolled his eyes with a muttered ‘werewolves are completely shameless'. “You know Shaggy if you had shared your room with me last night instead of being mean you could have joined in the puppy pile with me and paws this morning.” Thayne remarked grinning at Adrian's humiliated cry of ‘Thayne!!’ while Draco asked ‘puppy pile?’ “It's also called a cuddle pile if that helps. Werewolves sleep close together in a heap, heads resting on legs, people acting like big spoons and little spoons etc. It's not sexual in anyway just very comforting and warm, it's very instinctual especially with pups both young or newly turned. It helps with their adjusting instincts and the pull is greater as the Moon gets closer to being full. It's also a great way for anyone to feel safe when they need comfort.” He explained then looked at his mortified nephew “it's nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“It doesn't sound embarrassing it sounds….. Nice.” Draco supplied shooting a small smile at Adrian to try and make the young werewolf less squirmy. He had to admit it sounded strange but then again he wasn't a werewolf so who was he to judge? Adrian relaxed a little smiling at the blonde in return while Sirius and Thayne exchanged knowing looks. 

“I like you already blondie, name is Thayne I am Fenrir's fun loving and far more attractive younger brother.” Thayne said holding a hand out for Draco to take in a handshake. He then let out a yelp when the back of his head was struck by his older brother as he emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray full of assorted breakfast foods while another tray and a few jugs filled with juice floated behind him. “Not to mention mouthy hurry up and conjure a table and chairs so I can put this food down you mutt.” Fenrir groused a little annoyed at Thayne for ruining a bonding moment between Adrian and Draco. The pair had no idea that there was a bond between them so the longer they spent time together the stronger it would become. 

“Come on Dray since you're here you might as well join us for breakfast.” Adrian said the nickname slipping out without him noticing though the way Draco froze from getting to his feet the blonde did. Fenrir’s smile was a little smug but Adrian ignored the look and just concentrated on filling his plate. A comfortable silence fell over the table the sounds of scraping plates and eating the only noises being made. Breakfast was about done when the fire pit flared to life before Ron and Hermione emerged from the flame their arms full of thick tomes from the Malfoy Library. “You know Malfoy wouldn't have fled if you hadn't been so anal about research, this is Hogwarts Mione we aren't on a time crunch for an exam.” 

“Honestly Ronald don't be so thick Harry… Merlin I mean Adrian has been denied his parents for far too long we need to find a way to break that spell and fast so yes we are on a time crunch.” Hermione huffed turning on her fiancée who had a small goose egg forming on his forehead where that book thrown by the brunette struck. Adrian stood coming up behind Hermione and took two of the tomes from her arms while pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Oh! Good morning Adrian.”

“Mione morning nice to see your aim is still good.” Adrian teased nodding towards Ron's forehead and the brunette flushed a little. “I'll take these why don't you grab something to eat yeah?” He took the other tomes from Hermione placing them on the couch and gently pushing Hermione towards the table. “Oh and that's Thayne beside Sirius he would be happy to answer your questions about Illvermory.” He added sending a smirk towards his uncle who merely raised an eyebrow in question, Thayne had no idea what was about to happen. 

Hermione questioned Thayne about the American Wizard school for a solid hour before he finally threw in the towel aiming a glare at his nephew and two friends who were failing to hide their laughter at his expense, this was obvious revenge for embarrassing Adrian in front of Draco earlier. “You weren't kidding paws when you said your friend was insatiable when it comes to information.” Thayne said watching as the empty plates were vanished from the table. He smirked when Ron looked at him in confusion, “paws?” Adrian let out groan putting his head in his hand while Thayne laughed lowly. “When a pup is growing into their body going from child to adult their paws tend to be a little bit bigger until their body grows into them, it's the same for wolves as well. For the first two years Rian here struggled to walk with those paws of his, he would constantly trip over them. One time he and Katra that's Fen's Beta were play fighting and Rian started to run only for him to trip and tumble right into a fallen log. We started calling him ‘all paws' which was shortened into paws.”

Ron and Draco both snorted into their pumpkin juice while Hermione tsked and smiled at Adrian “I'm sure that was adorable, I can't wait to see your wolf form in a few days. Ron and I have our animagus licenses so we can join you.” She said the redhead nodding while Draco looked a little flustered. “That's great Hermione but dad thinks it would be best if at least for one or two moons that it just be us.” Adrian gestured between him, Fenrir, Thayne and Sirius, “you can watch if you want but just make sure you're behind a shield just in case. Once my wolf knows you guys are pack then you can join.” He explained smiling apologetically at Hermione who looked put out but understood all the same. 

Hermione shook off the disappointment quickly and declared that since they were done eating they could then begin researching. Ron groaned while Adrian made a note to ask Draco why he looked so agitated when Hermione brought up being an animagus.

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 **August 21 2012**  
**Malfoy Manor**

July easily slipped into August without the group really noticing only taking a break from their research to celebrate Adrian's 22 birthday on the 31st which was spent at Malfoy Manor rather than the hotel suite since there was more room. It was also where the three werewolves and Sirius spent the full moon using the Quidditch field since it had shields allowing Ron, Hermione and Draco to watch safely while allowing the wolves especially Adrian to get use to their scents. 

They were halfway through the library at Malfoy Manor and unfortunately no new information turned up about how to supress a soul bond let alone how to reverse it. Even information about soul bonds was scarce but Hermione refused to shift her focus to the fake memories as she now agreed with Fenrir that the bond was the most important part of the equation. The bond was also another snag as whenever Fenrir tried to allow Severus to use Legillemens on his mind so that they could study it he started to lose control on his sanity and it took Adrian and Thayne a few days to get Fenrir back under control. After three failed attempts with the final one causing the three werewolves to isolate themselves for an entire week they dropped it. 

Severus promised that he would try to see the bond in Remus but it would take time closer to the full moon made it harder to glean information as it seemed Remus' wolf was agitated. He would come up with a plan to lure him to Hogwarts then report his findings immediately, that had been two weeks ago and still no progress on that front so unfortunately they were at a stand still. 

“Don't know how you've kept it together searching for a solution for five years, we've only been at this for a month and my mind feels stretched.” Draco said to Adrian while they lounged outside in the garden at Malfoy Manor. They were the sole occupants of the manor currently the other members had separated for work, lesson planning and rest. Brooms discarded on the Quidditch pitch reflected a game they had tried to play an hour ago however they had made the mistake of allowing the bludgers to flying around, Fenrir had almost gone ballistic when one had just clipped the head of Adrian's broom. After allowing the oldest werewolf to scent his son Thayne pulled his brother back to the suite with Sirius murmuring about calling Adrian's grandmother Selena. 

Severus and Lucius had already left in the morning to continue their lesson prep as school was resuming in a few weeks. Ron and Hermione left only a few minutes prior stating that they needed to check into the office to make sure the two staff members they had hadn't according to Hermione ‘completely bollocked my filing system'. Adrian let out a absent hum grabbing a glass of lemonade and taking a sip of the sweet tart liquid before replying, “don't breathe a word of this to Hermione but there wasn't any research done while I was with my dad's pack.” Draco snorted causing a grin to split Adrian's face. “I mean we tried honestly maybe within the last year before coming back here but we were busy with other things. Besides my dad, grandparents, Sirius and Thayne had gone through all of the reading material they could find so it wasn't much of a search when I joined.” 

Adrian let out a sigh letting go of the glass in his hand which hovered in the air while he mused up his hair pulling a few of the white strands. A blonde brow was raised at the casual display of wandless magic though to be honest he was use to it after only a month. Draco always knew that the boy who lived was powerful but when the werewolf just casually threw out that he had to learn wandless magic after he accidentally _blew up his wand_ by casting a simple accio he had been absolutely floored. He and the others also learned that him casually using his magic for small things wasn't because he was lazy, the smalls drains to his magical core kept it from spilling over. “What was it like? Those spells wearing off when you were seventeen?” The blonde suddenly asked. 

Silence was the initial answer he got as Adrian's expression grew thoughtful watching as the glass floated back onto the table, “a little scary but mainly nerve wracking. I made the mistake of asking Katra about her first shift and she went into gory detail of every crack and shift of her bone.” He shuddered at the memory, “I love Kat I do but she can be extremely blunt. Anyway I honestly don't remember anything since according to Sirius my eyes rolled back up into my head and I passed out, none of us had anticipated that I would come into a magic inheritance at the same time. I was out cold for 3 days dad was so on edge that he almost lost it a few times and had to remain in wolf form the entire time I was unconscious. When I woke up everything was….. Sharper? I guess that’s the right word for it and I realized that I wasn't alone in my head.” Draco looked at him with a little alarm causing Adrian to laugh.

“Sorry Dray this is really hard to explain to someone who's human. Mentally a werewolves wolf side is a separate to them with the human side in control most of the time except for the full moon when it’s the wolf's turn. So imagine having an image of a wolf in the back of your mind.” He paused here to check that Draco was still following before he continued, “the more someone fights against that wolf the weaker the connection is causing the wolf side to lash out and lose control on the full moon, accepting those baser instincts strengthens the bond and brings balance. It took me maybe about a week of meditating to find balance with my wolf and my transition didn't hurt at all.” 

“That was during your first full moon right?” Draco asked and when Adrian shook his head the blonde’s eyes grew wide, “you can shift outside of the moon?”

Adrian hummed a smile on his face while he tipped his head back to look at the clouds. “It's really rare only my family know how to achieve it. I don't why its just the Greyback's my dad hasn't given me that reason yet even though I've asked him a bunch of times.” He glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye, “would you like to see?” Draco nodded eagerly, “have your wand ready to erect a shield just in case…. I need to strip I’ll be back.” Adrian stood to his feet walking gracefully around a tall hedge completely out of sight. Draco picked up the faint sound of rustling clothes following by cracking and shifting of bones then silence. Grey eyes were glued to that hedge and they widened as a beautiful white wolf slowly prowled towards him. 

Draco had already seen Adrian's wolf before during the full moon 3 weeks prior but there was just something about seeing him up close that left him breathless. The size of Adrian was completely different to his father and uncle, their alternate forms were double the size of a large wolf while Adrian could have easily been mistaken for the true wild animal except he was sleeker his body meant for running. The blonde slid from his chair to sit on the ground placing his wand on his thigh and held his hands out keeping his stance relaxed and very still so he didn't spook or agitate Adrian. He kept very still watching as Adrian slinked closer his nose constantly moving as he scented the air catching the fragrance of him. “You are so beautiful.” Draco murmured reaching out a hand keeping it open to let Adrian walk into it if he wanted which the wolf did running its cold wet nose along the skin then nuzzled it demanding pets. Draco scratched behind Adrian's ears then ran his hand down the length of his sleek body, they stayed in this position for a few minutes before Adrian loped back around the hedge to shift and returned fully dressed and smiling. 

“That went really well, I think you could actually sit with us next full moon if you wanted…. Hermione and Ron should be safe to join us as well.” He said plopping back down in his chair while Draco stood and returned to his. That same frustrated look that came over Draco's face when the word animagus was mentioned a month ago returned, “Hermione said that she and Ron were able to get their licenses but you didn't speak up…. How come you're not an animagus?”

Grey eyes slid close briefly then opened, Draco absently tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear before he replied “I couldn't find my animal.” The words were said so quietly that if Adrian hadn't of been a werewolf he would have missed it. “We did it to try and lighten the mood, we had hit dead ends searching for you and Hermione was tired of listening to Ron and I bicker out of frustration so she plunked the book she was reading and pointed out the chapter. It's not hard to achieve it just takes concentration and time. It started with meditating to find the animal that your magic core resonates with, both Ron and Hermione found theirs quickly….. Every time I tried.” He made a frustrated noise “it was like trying to capture water in your hand the image would start to form then it would warp and vanish. Apparently it's rare for this to happen, the book said it could be that my core has multiple potential links but it's undecided….. Whatever that means.” 

Adrian reached out placing his hand on Draco's knee but didn't say any words since honestly there weren't any that he could say to make him feel better. 

  
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**August 31**  
**Room 376, Diagon Hotel.**

  
The day before classes were to resume at Hogwarts Severus came through with his promise. After talking with Albus Lucius had come up with the idea of approaching Remus with the offer of asking him to come into help Lucius teach his seventh year Defense class on how to fight against magic resistance creatures. The discussion had been brief and when Remus agreed they celebrated with tea and firewhiskey which Severus had laced with a mild sleeping potion. Once the werewolf fell asleep the potions master swept in quickly casting Legillemens he had to work fast before Remus' metabolism burned off the potion. Pushing through the memories he delved deeper until he reached the deepest parts of his subconscious where the soul bond lay. What he saw deeply disturbed the former spy and he withdrew fast though not enough that it would hurt Remus. 

Severus didn't waist anytime stalking up to the Headmaster's office to use the floo to travel to the hotel suite. Stepping out of the pit he disregarded greetings leveling worried glances at Adrian and Hermione, “the bond isn't supressed it's nearly severed.” He breathed completely shaken at the revelation, “how your parents aren't dead is an absolute miracle Greyback.” He added before he procured a vial from his robes and removed the memory from his mind placing it in the vial and handed it to Hermione then excused himself as he needed a strong drink. 

Hermione got to her feet at once heading back over to the fire pit “I'll look at this then see what I can find in the soul bond books we've read.” She said over her shoulder then disappeared to Malfoy Manor. Ron and Draco said nothing though they spent the rest of the day trying to cheer Adrian up who had gone absolutely silent with the news. It took another two weeks , on September 23 for Hermione to come back with not only the answer to the severed bond but also with a plan. 

Adrian, Ron, Draco and Sirius joined Hermione in Adrian’s room that morning, Thayne and Fenrir absent as the Alpha's condition on his sanity had taken a sudden turn and Thayne used an emergency portkey to take them home to Adrian's grandmother Selena. Adrian's nerves were frayed dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and he looked at his best friend with desperate hope. “There's a reason why creature bonds are so much stronger than normal ones and that’s because there are two parts. The first part is the instinct bond and it differs from race to race, for werewolves it's a hunt. In their wolf forms the submissive acts as prey while the dominate is the hunter, a chase occurs during a full moon and once caught the dominate will bite their submissive and vice versa. The second part of the bond is the martial bond which is the common bond, bonding ceremony and uh…. Consummation. The bonded pair would also initiate a second set of bite marks to finish the process. This type of bond is permanent meaning if one dies the other will follow.” Adrian let out a whimper and Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“I know Adrian I'm sorry…. I viewed Severus' memory and he's correct when he said the bond is severed but only partially, there are a few strands still intact and I believe those strands are the instinct bond. I think that's why your dad went feral Adrian, the books that I read stated that if the martial bond is cut but the instinct bond remains it can simulate the submissive partner is dead but since the bond isn't completely severed the dominate can't join them so that baser instinct loses control and takes over. It is possible for a dominate to reclaim its sanity which Fenrir did however that is only temporary, if the bond is not restored then Fenrir could revert back to being feral…. And stay that way.” Adrian's whimper turned into a whine, Sirius pulled the smaller boy into his lap holding him tightly and rocking him as he cried.

“How can we fix this? Please tell us that we can fix this.” Draco rasped his grey eyes focused solely on Adrian's sobbing form. 

Hermione swallowed a few times to stop her own tears from falling and composed herself. “It's just a theory but I believe it will work you see partially severing the bond also effects the submissive as well making their instincts weaker more docile and easily manipulated, it would explain why the caster was able to plant those fake memories Remus's wolf couldn't fight them.” Another whine and sob cut her off so Hermione hurried with her plan. “When the moon is full a werewolves wolf side is strongest so I believe if we can get Fenrir and Remus together during the full moon in two weeks the instinct bond can be recreated. Once that's re-established Adrian's grandmother Selena with the help of Fenrir can get rid of those fake memories and redo the martial bond.”

“So all we would have to do is find out where Remus spends his full moons and join them? That doesn't sound hard at all.” Ron joked trying to lighten the mood only to duck his head when Hermione glared at him. 

“He'll be at Hogwarts during the full moon, that's when my father had set up the guest lesson for his class.” Draco said his mind working a plan, “The shrieking shack his too small but perhaps if we ward an area bear the forbidden forest? We would have to sedate Adrian's father just in case.” He explained suddenly moving closer to Sirius when Adrian let out another whine. Draco placed a hand on his shoulder letting out a small gasp as Adrian shifted falling into Draco's lap and burying his face in his stomach. The blonde looking at Sirius in shock but the man shook his head and rubbed his godson's back. 

“That could work……. It has too.” Hermione whispered tears freely falling down her face as Ron got up from his seat and wrapped his fiancée in a tight embrace the only sounds in the room were Adrian's heart wrenching sobs that eventually died down into soft hiccups. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... And this is why I don't write full chapters in a single day ugh. But I am a glutton for punishment so maybe I'll have the next one day in a day too who knows. Also so no ones confused 'making a room' refers to guests being able to use the magic within the suites to make more room if they need it. I couldn't figure out where to put it in the chapter so thats why its here. 
> 
> Anywho thank you for the kudos, comments are appreciated see you next time!


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